'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQf/2gAIAQEAAAAAJmv/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAA//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAHf/xAAkEAABAwMBCQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwQFAQYRABIWIyQxQlOCkv/aAAgBAQABPwC67ra3s2fRkNHCgTuRrKEs87AwaZ4p5cVT+dbhyzvmQXY7C3Epkyp19Nf/xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAgBAgEBPwCX/8QAFxEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAEEf/aAAgBAwEBPwC4CFhn/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
UFC analyst Dan Hardy broke down middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's finishes of Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. As Hardy pointed out, 'The Last Style Bender' has the ability to generate power from awkward angles.
Israel Adesanya finished Robert Whittaker via TKO to become the undisputed UFC middleweight champion at UFC 243. How did he do it? According to Hardy:
"Adesanya is trying to bait that right hand from Whittaker and you'll see him do this because he shifts across the centerline with his head. And the reason he does this is because he's trying to get Whittaker to throw that right hand straight at his face because he can counter it then."
"He's leaning back. His shoulder is pivoting back so he's got that torque in the midsection which is gonna add a lot more power into this punch. Utilizing the momentum of the movement. And cracks Whittaker right on the open side."
Adesanya's gambit worked as he could draw out Whittaker's right hand, lean back to avoid the shot, and return fire due to his ability to contort his body in seemingly uncomfortable angles.
Israel Adesanya's mind games
Dan Hardy emphasized why Adesanya's ability to work in awkward positions makes him so dangerous. The analyst pointed out that the Kiwi fighter used the same posture to score another TKO win against Paulo Costa in his third title defense.
Adesanya took a different approach against Costa than he did with Whittaker but got the same results. Hardy gave a breakdown of how Adesanya picked Costa apart at UFC 253:
"Adesanya uses these beautiful faints to get reactions out of Paulo Costa. The first thing he's doing. The first story he's telling to Paulo Costa that leg's gonna be no good after the first round."
"Adesanya continually adds to that leg. He keeps picking at that leg to the point where Paulo Costa, his whole mind is focused on that leg. And now there's a bit of desperation. Now he starts to cover distance so now he comes into punching range. And this is where we get the next story that Adesanya starts to tell."
Dan Hardy then said Israel Adesanya changed things up by fainting and throwing punches that weren't meant to land. And once he knows which way Costa leans, he connects with a strike that his opponent doesn't see coming.
"And this is where we get the next story that Adesanya starts to tell. So with this next story, again, he's feeding out of the reactions that he's getting from Paulo Costa."
"As he throws his hand out he sees this reaction from Paulo Costa. The rear hand moves back and the head moves away."
Watch Dan Hardy's breakdown of Israel Adesanya's striking technique below:
When will Israel Adesanya return?
Israel Adesanya is gearing up for his upcoming title defense against Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC 263. The two are no strangers to each other as they crossed paths in the octagon three years ago.
The first fight ended in a split decision in favor of Adesanya. This time, however, the stakes are higher as the UFC middleweight title is on the line.
